There are a variety of fiction markets looking for your short stories and, more commonly, flash fiction. While there is no set-in-stone rule, the longest flashes are often 1000 – 1500 words, and the shortest are 6 words long.
In this article, we’ll look at a list of six paying markets that include reputable online publications and literary magazines. Most are now accepting submissions, while a couple have announced their next submission period. There are no submission fees for any of these magazines.
They all welcome simultaneous submissions and are looking for original, previously unpublished work. Some seek stories following the specified themes, while others are so diverse that they are only interested in buying your best work.
Key tip: When you have fewer words to tell your story, each word must be thought of wisely. While the fewer, the better, your choice of words should not compromise the impact of your story, but rather enhance it.
The list below progresses from lesser-paying to higher-paying publications.
1. Brilliant Flash Fiction is published on the last day of January, March, June, and September each year. They want your greatest fiction pieces written in 1000 words or fewer, and don’t believe in limiting the content they seek to a specific theme. Send up to two stories quarterly (during a 3-month period).
Payment: $20 (via PayPal) for each accepted story
2. The Sunlight Press is a digital literary publication that publishes both emerging and renowned writers. Their fiction section publishes flash fiction (1000 words) and short stories (2000 words). They expect you to closely adhere to the word restriction. Send only one piece at a time. Accepts reprints but does not pay for them.
Payment: $40 (via PayPal) for both flash fiction and short stories
3. The Razor is a literary journal published by Gotham Writer’s Workshop that features two pieces every month: one fiction and one nonfiction under 2000 words. They want you to concentrate on the story while they handle the format. Your best bet may be a story that thrives on making a difference in the simplest way imaginable. Literary fiction is also accepted. Submit only one piece at a time.
Payment: $100 upon publication
4. Extra Teeth, a Swedish magazine with an international outlook, wants you to fit your story into a specific theme. Submit your best work in any genre. They want your creative fiction and nonfiction between 800 and 4,000 words. They look for “short stories that stick with you, lingering in the memory long after reading.” They provide an outlet for writers to be unique and experimental. Send only one piece at a time.
Payment: $110 plus two copies of the magazine in which the piece appears
5: Mslexia is a magazine for women’s writing that accepts fiction in five different forms, ranging from a 100-word flash in response to a visual cue to a 2,200-word broadcast-length short story on their current theme. The current issue, 99, has the theme “Poison: Toxic Substances and the Deliberate or Accidental Damage They Can Cause.” Send no more than two stories at one time.
Payment: Fees start at $30, and all contributors receive a free copy of the magazine
6. Nonprofit Quarterly is an online journal that publishes fiction by both emerging and established authors. Climate fiction under 2000 words is sought for NPQ’s current fall climate justice edition. They want “short climate fiction stories that spark imaginative future visions.” They are particularly interested in “largely speculative in nature but scientifically grounded” work.
Payment: NPQ will pay $500 for serious science-based pieces and $300 for 500-word short stories
RELATED
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- 8 Paying Poetry and Short Story Markets for Writers – by Biljana Tadic
- From 7-Year-Old Short Story Writer to Published Author – by Donna Deines
- 6 Paying Niche Short Story Markets for Writers – by Avery Springwood
Rajeshwari Kumari is a 23-year-old freelance writer from India who subsists on two things in life: the first is writing all that she can, and the second is her favoured medium-roasted coffee. Connect with her: https://me.dm/@rajeshwariwrites
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